The University of Minnesota is defending itself against a federal lawsuit filed by Young America's Foundation, a conservative youth advocacy group, which claims campus policies on gender identity and pronoun use violate students' free speech rights.
The suit was filed June 18 in the District of Minnesota by the Southeastern Legal Foundation on YAF's behalf, representing a University of Minnesota student. It targets university-wide student life policies that define certain speech about gender identity as "hostile environment sexual harassment," mandatory preferred-pronoun requirements, and related Student Code of Conduct provisions.
The complaint argues the policies are "extremely vague and broad, compel students' speech, and discriminate against their views," barring students from stating positions like "there are only two genders" or "men should not compete in women's sports." The suit also raises Title IX claims and asks the court for declaratory and injunctive relief plus $1 in nominal damages, effectively seeking to have the policies struck down rather than to collect money.
At issue is the university's equity policy, which states that university members and units are "expected to use other gendered personal references ... that are consistent with the gender identities and pronouns specified by University members."
The University of Minnesota said in a statement that it is "deeply committed to both protecting freedom of speech and fostering a safe, inclusive learning environment for all students," but that it cannot comment on the specific allegations because of the active litigation.
